How will the French Election affect Corporate Bonds?
If the French elect a socialist and then they start printing money, Europe will then see a reduction in government bond ratings followed by eventual major inflation. The assets therefore to buy are real assets such as gold, property and selected blue chip stocks. However if investors are cautious, and they are, Corporate bonds are still worthwhile.
Many corporates, especially banks, are down-graded at present, but as these institutions regain their ratings so their bonds will increase in value, at least until we see 7%+ in national interest rates with a similar number for annual inflation, before that point we would need to exit corporate bonds unless we keep them for the long term.